Athletes Use Cannabis To Prep For Olympics Amid Sha’Carri Richardson Controversy

Athletes Use Cannabis To Prep For Olympics Amid Sha’Carri Richardson Controversy

According to reports, a few athletes used cannabis to help prep for the 2021 Olympics, one being U.S. Soccer Women’s National Team player Megan Rapinoe. Forbes reports that the Olympic gold medalist shared that she regularly incorporates CBD into her training routine. Megan Rapinoe’s sister owns a cannabis company, Mendi, that sells products geared towards helping athletes with stress and recovery.

In addition to Megan Rapinoe, other brand ambassadors for Mendi that will be competing in the Olympics are hurdler Devon Allen, softball outfielder Hayley McCleney and WNBA champion Sue Bird.

In 2017 WADA (World Anti-Doping Agency) removed the cannabinoid CBD from its list of prohibited substances, which made it a fair game for Olympic athletes to use in their training. However, athletes have not been allowed to take any form of CBD with them to Japan due to the nation’s own laws on the substance.

Unlike CBD, Olympic athletes are still completely banned from having THC in their system. Marijuana contains much more THC than hemp, while hemp has a lot of CBD.

As previously reported, track star Sha’Carri Richardson, 21, was banned from the Olympics this year after she tested positive for marijuana. Initially, she was just suspended from competing in the 100 meters race but she was still expected to be part of the United States’ 4×100 team at the Tokyo Olympics. However, Olympics officials ultimately decided that Sha’Carri Richardson would not be allowed to compete in Tokyo at all this year.

Sha’Carri Richardson

The founder of the CBD company Mendi, Rachael Rapinoe, spoke on Sha’Carri Richardson with Forbes and said,

“Sha’Carri Richardson, unfortunately, wanted to use a healthier alternative to manage the stress that was going on in her life, and now she’s banned from this year’s Olympics. Every athlete should have the same access that every other Americans do to deal with the stresses of life.”

She added,

“existing policies are not working.”

Soccer star Megan Rapinoe agreed and added,

“The societal effect in terms of social justice that weed has had on this country is just absurd. There are so many, mostly Black and Brown, people sitting in jail for 10 or 20-plus years for weed, and it’s completely unnecessary. From a social perspective, we’re long overdue for the legalization of cannabis.”

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